There was uproar among her supporters as he accused her of abusing power.

Although parliament reopened on Wednesday, there is no sign of a resolution of the country's constitutional crisis.

The president and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe are in deep dispute over peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels.

The power struggle threatens the peace process and pledges of billions of dollars of foreign aid.

The parliamentary speaker - who belongs to the prime minister's party - said the suspension of parliament was an abuse aimed at paralysing one arm of government.

"I hope the prorogation will not be an unpleasant precedent," the speaker, Joseph Michael Perera, said.

"If this happens again, there should be a right for parliament to meet and summon itself."

Opposition members from the president's party reacted by banging their papers on the desks and shouting.

There had been talk of parliament being dissolved and the president calling fresh elections.

But our correspondent says that looks unlikely because the prime minister is about to present his budget.

Observers predict a populist budget with pay rises for civil servants, as the prime minister attempts to regain the initiative.

The present crisis erupted when the president sacked three key cabinet ministers earlier this month.